Cattle
Safely Castrating Calves
The best age and method for castrating calves may vary, depending on your situation. Some stockmen feel that a calf should be allowed to grow all summer before being castrated, since calves grow faster as bulls.
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The Best Cattle Waterers for Winter
In some climates, keeping stock water ice-free can be frustrating during colder months. Tank heaters work well if a person has access to electricity, but some pastures are far from a power source.
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Watering Cattle in Winter
Add to Favorites By Heather Smith Thomas — Watering cattle in winter is crucial. During cold weather, ranchers need to pay attention to water sources to make sure they don’t freeze. …
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How to Treat Colicky Calf Bloat
Some calves develop calf bloat, an acute enterotoxemia (toxic gut infection), caused by bacterial toxins. These calves are usually about a month old but may be as young as a few days of age or as old as two to three months.
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Selecting the Best Dairy Cow Breed
When selecting a family milk cow or choosing from the best dairy cow breeds to start a small dairy, there are a number of options. The most “ideal” breed will be one that best suits your own situation and purpose.
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Burdock Slivers Can Cause Eye Irritations
Eye problems in livestock and horses can be caused by foreign material in the eye, and one of the most challenging problems is burdock slivers. Burrs from this invasive weed stick to hair or clothing.
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Removing Porcupine Quills From Cattle
Removing porcupine quills from pets, cattle, and other livestock is an unpleasant task for everyone involved.
The porcupine is a peaceful, timid rodent whose unique method of self-defense often causes grief to inquisitive animals.
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Your Guide to Dairy and Beef Cattle Breeds
Add to Favorites By Heather Smith Thomas – There are so many cattle breeds and crosses that it’s hard to know which ones to choose when researching how to start …
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The Joy of Raising Highland Cattle
Add to Favorites Story & Photos By Tom Fuller – Cattle have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and Highland cattle are by far …
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Best Beef Cattle Breeds
Every beef cattle breed has pluses and minuses, and what might be a plus for one farmer could be a drawback in another situation. For instance, a breed that does well in a hot climate may not do well in a cold one, and vice versa.
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Dexter Cattle – The Ideal Family Cow
Homesteading is about simplicity, self reliance, and doing as much as you can with as little as possible, always with an eye on the bottom line.
So when it comes to considering large livestock, selecting an animal species or specific breed that provides multiple benefits should be the goal.
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Preventing and Treating Cattle Scours in Calves
The most common illness in young calves is cattle scours (diarrhea). There are many causes, including intestinal infection because of bacteria, viruses, or protozoa.
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How to Create a Cattle Pasture for Optimum Flavor and Fat Cover in Grass-fed Beef
With Spencer Smith – Creating the right blend of forages and grasses in a pasture to finish (fatten for slaughter) cattle is not as simple as turning the cattle out to grass. It requires timing the “finishing season” for maximum flavor and health benefits.
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How to Start a Cattle Farm on Small Acreage
Learning how to start a cattle farm throws you into the deep end of the homesteading pool. Cattle are large beasts and require strong fencing, water, grazing land or feed and a plan.
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Nominate a Homesteader for the I Am Countryside Feature
Add to Favorites Know a homesteader who inspires others? Want to see them featured in Countryside & Small Stock Journal? Nominate them (or yourself!) and we’ll tell their story in the …
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